Lion King OneShots
by HorrorFan6
Summary: This is a continuously growing collection of one-shots all about the Lion King. There is no connecting theme between them and no storyline. Rated T for possible violence.
1. Simba's Proposal

**Author's Note: **What follows is a collection of one-shots all about _The Lion King_. There is no single theme that connects them; they are just a bunch of short stories that I'm posting as I come up with them. I hope you enjoy them.

Simba's Proposal

Nala woke up that fine morning with a light heart and a smile. The sun was shining as brightly as it had before Scar's tyrannical reign, although the kingdom was still a long way from completely recovering from those two long years. It had only been a week since Simba had returned. The ground was still charred in several places around the Pride Lands, and the vegetation had yet to start re-growing. The herds, most of which had not yet heard of Scar's defeat, were still beyond their boundaries, and food was just as scarce as it had been a week ago. But despite all this, Nala was still smiling. Things could only get better from here.

She looked around the den and was mildly surprised to see that Simba wasn't there. Then again, she supposed, he was the king now. He had a lot of responsibilities to deal with, and one of the most pressing ones was bringing the Pride Lands back to their former glory. No small task, indeed.

None of the other lionesses were awake yet, so Nala stood up, stretched, yawned, and stepped outside into the bright sunshine. A brief glance around confirmed her suspicions: Simba was talking to Zazu at the tip of Pride Rock's ledge. His back was turned to her, but she could see that Zazu looked displeased about something. Odd, Nala thought. It was a lovely day, and the Pride Lands were slowly returning to normal. The rain that had fallen the night of Simba's return had been a blessing, and plants must surely be starting to grow again. And once the plantlife had returned, the herds would come back, and peace could once again be restored to the Circle of Life. So why would Zazu be upset about anything? She stepped forward to listen.

"You can't do that, Sire! You simply can't!" Zazu squawked indignantly.

"And why not?" Simba asked, sounding as though his patience was starting to wear thin. "I see nothing wrong with my choice. It's for the good of the kingdom, now and for future generations." His voice softened as he added, "I know this tradition was started by a Great King, but traditions wear out with time. It's time to change, Zazu."

Zazu opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he noticed Nala standing there. His expression changed immediately; he smiled at her fondly. Indeed, most of the pride had started looking up to Nala. As the only one to go for help, it was because of her that they had been saved from Scar's tyranny. And it didn't hurt that everyone was sure that Simba would pop the question soon. They were counting the days until Nala would become their queen. Not only were they betrothed, as was the custom, but they had been spending most waking hours together, walking around the desolate lands and catching up with each other. Sometimes, all they did was stand close together, not saying anything, content to simply be together. Nala kept hoping that he would ask her to be his mate soon, holding out hope from day to day, but he hadn't asked yet. _He's being a gentleman, _she kept saying to herself. _He's just waiting an appropriate amount of time to ask me, that's all. _And it was with this in her head that she was able to face each new morning with a smile.

Following Zazu's gaze, Simba looked around and smiled when he saw Nala standing at the mouth of the den. "Good morning," he said warmly, turning his body so that he was facing her. "Did you sleep well?"

Nala smiled and nodded. "Yes, Simba. I slept fine. And you?"

"Like a baby," he replied. He nuzzled her and sighed. Nala returned the gesture with affection. "Oh, Nala," he whispered. "Just to be with you is…is…everything I need."

Nala sighed in response. Zazu, looking strangely weary, said, "Well, I'll go see if there are any improvements, shall I?"

Simba nodded and said, "Yes, thank you, Zazu."

The hornbill flew away, and Nala looked up at Simba. "I overheard you two arguing just now. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Simba said softly. "Zazu and I just had a slight disagreement, that's all. How much did you hear?"

"Not much," Nala replied. "Something about changing a tradition for the good of the kingdom."

Simba nodded but didn't elaborate. "Would you walk with me?" he asked.

Nala felt her heart flutter in her chest as she nodded, trying to keep calm while her mind began whirring excitedly. This must be it! He was going to propose to her!

Simba and Nala descended the stone steps to the ground below. The earth was still in varying shades of black and gray, quite a contrast with the clear blue sky above them. They began walking in no particular direction and with no destination in mind. They talked a little but were mostly silent. Nala's heart was pounding and was finding it very hard to keep her voice steady. If Simba noticed her apparent nervousness, he didn't comment on it.

Finally, once they had wandered over to the water hole (which was still dry, but hopes were high that this would soon change), Simba stopped walking, and Nala too came to an abrupt halt. "Nala," Simba said slowly, not looking at her, "I want to tell you something. And to ask you a very important question."

Nala's knees trembled, and her voice quavered slightly as she said, "Oh? And what's that?"

Simba took a deep breath. "It's about what Zazu and I were arguing about. You see, I…I've decided to do away with the tradition of betrothal. The lions of this pride will be free to choose their own mates from now on. Zazu disagrees, but that's because it's a tradition that's been upheld for a long time, and he can't imagine changing it." A small smile crossed his face as he added, "Remember when he told us about it, when we were cubs?"

Nala blinked and nodded. Her heart was still pounding, but now it was out of fear more than excitement. What was Simba saying? Why was he telling her this? No, he couldn't possibly be suggesting that he loved another! He couldn't! She loved him!

"Nala, are you all right?" Simba asked, bringing Nala out of her panicked thoughts.

"Y-yes," she stammered. "But Simba…what are you saying? Do you mean we…that we…"

Simba's expression was very gentle as he replied, "Do I mean we are no longer betrothed? In essence, yes."

Nala heard a loud crash. It took her a moment to realize that it was her hopes falling to pieces all around her.

"But I want to rectify that," Simba continued almost immediately. "And I want to do it right."

Nala was too stunned to understand what he meant, but she figured it out pretty quickly when Simba knelt down on his foreleg in a regal bow and, looking lovingly up at her, said, "Nala, you have saved me from more dangers than you can possibly know. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. So Nala, would you, not out of need but out of love, be my mate?"

Nala stared at him for a moment. Her mind, which had been whirring and shrieking only moments before, had fallen suddenly silent and inactive. Then one fact fell into place. Simba had asked her to be his mate! He still loved her!

She let out a cry of joy and threw herself on Simba, who laughed as she nuzzled him. "May I take that as a yes?" he said.

Nala nodded. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Simba, of course I will! I've been waiting for so long to hear you say that!"

Simba, still chuckling, drew back and said, "I've wanted to ask you for a long time, too, but I had to make sure I was able to handle being a king before I took on the extra responsibilities of starting a family."

Nala sighed. "You scared me," she said. "I thought you were about to say you'd fallen for another lioness or something, and that was why you were changing the betrothal tradition."

"What?" Simba said, sounding surprised. "Oh Nala, never. No, I just thought it was a silly tradition. I wanted you to agree to marry me because you love me, not because you were forced to by some dumb law. That's why I changed it."

Nala mumbled something incoherent, her face still buried in Simba's mane. Simba chuckled again. He said, "I love you too, Nala."

They stood there for a few moments, completely silent, nuzzling each other and reveling in each other's presence. At length, Simba said, "Come on, let's get back to Pride Rock. I think the other lionesses will want to know about this."

Nala nodded, and the two started back toward home, tails entwined fondly and smiling contentedly as the sun climbed higher through the morning sky.

**Author's Note: **I hope you enjoyed this. Please write a review! I'll have the next one-shot up here soon, and I promise, I'll start work on my other stories soon as well.


	2. Vitani and the Haunted Mansion

Vitani and the Haunted Mansion

**Author's Note: **Yeah…I have no idea. I was bored, I had just finished a paper for World Lit, and I've been in a Haunted Mansion mood lately. This is the result.

So basically, Simba, Nala, Kopa, and Vitani are taking a vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, and Kopa convinces Vitani to ride the Haunted Mansion. You'll have to suspend some disbelief, obviously, and it shouldn't be taken seriously. It's just for fun. Hope you enjoy!

….

"Kopa, I don't know about this…" Vitani said nervously, looking up at the towering stone structure standing before her. The Magic Kingdom park guests all around her were barely pausing as they walked through the gates of the mansion and got in the long, winding line. Her eyes wandered from the tip of the house's cupola, on which a bat weathervane swayed slightly in the breeze, down to the black hearse at the base of the manor, complete with a black harness that was suspended in midair, presumably because it was fastened to a ghost horse. But it was the mansion itself that held Vitani's attention. It was tall, made of red and brown bricks. At the center was a tower, and two wings sprouted from its sides. The sharp angles, dark windows, and looming edifice gave the house the illusion of a mythical monster preparing to pounce on its prey.

"Vitani, it will be fun," said Kopa soothingly. "Trust me, it's not scary. I mean, it's a Disney ride, how bad could it be?"

"It…it looks really creepy," Vitani replied uneasily. "I don't know…"

"Come on, have I ever led you astray before?" Kopa asked earnestly. "Trust me. You'll love it, I know you will."

"Well…" Vitani sighed in defeat. "Oh all right. But if I get scared, Kopa, I'll hurt you."

"Don't worry about it," Kopa replied with a chuckle. "I'll be right beside you the whole time."

Vitani took a little comfort in that and allowed Kopa to lead her through the manor's gate, passing a rusty plaque that read **The Haunted Mansion** in large, sharp letters. The two young lions entered the line of people that wound around the mansion's front lawn, eventually making their way under a canopy that wrapped around to the house's side. As they approached a side door, they paused to examine a small family plot situated on a small grassy hill. "'Here lies good old Fred: A great big rock fell on his head,'" Kopa read aloud with a chuckle. "'Dear departed brother Dave: He chased a bear into a cave.' Brilliant stuff!"

Vitani laughed halfheartedly. "It's kinda funny," she said. Her eyes turned to the last tombstone before the dark wood double doors that led into the dark realms of the mansion. It had the sculpted face of a beautiful young woman, below which was the inscription: "Dear sweet Leota, beloved by all, in regions beyond now, but having a ball." Vitani looked back up at the face in time to see its eyes open and look around. The young lioness yelped and jumped backward into Kopa, who chuckled and said, "It's okay, 'Tani. Calm down."

Vitani didn't have a chance to respond because, at that moment, the doors opened, and a butler dressed in a dark green suit beckoned them, unsmiling, into a dark and dismal room. The foyer was barren except for a lone portrait situated on the wall directly in front of them over a smoldering fire in a fireplace. The painting was of a young man, dressed elegantly in a black coat and wearing a small smile for the artist.

As the park guests filed into the room, a loud, deep voice began to speak, seeming to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

"When hinges creak in door-less chambers," intoned the voice, "and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candle lights flicker where the air is deathly still; that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight."

As the voice spoke, the portrait on the wall changed. The man's flesh paled and wrinkled, his hair turned gray and thinned out, and his coat faded and tore with age until the formerly young man was reduced to a rotting corpse, leering down at them from the painting. Vitani shuddered, and Kopa murmured, "Awesome."

A panel to the left of the painting opened, revealing a dimly lit room. The park guests, Kopa and Vitani among them, stepped into a large octagonal portrait gallery. Every other wall was decorated by an oil painting. One was of a young woman holding a parasol. Another was of a smug-looking man wearing a bowler hat. The third was of a stately-looking gentleman holding what appeared to be a speech. The last was of an elderly woman holding a rose in her wrinkled hands. The room was lit by flickering candles held by gargoyle sconces in the walls above them. Their faces were twisted into malevolent grins, and Vitani could have sworn she heard them whispering and giggling to each other.

"Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion," said the voice. "I am your host, your 'Ghost Host.' Our tour begins here in this gallery, here where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state. Kindly step all the way in, please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now!"

"All right then!" called out the butler that had let them in. "Kindly drag your wretched body away from the walls and gather together in the _dead _center of the room!"

"Nice guy," Vitani muttered, and Kopa chuckled, nuzzling her briefly as the people around them obeyed the cast member's instruction.

Then a loud creaking sound filled the room, and the chamber began to stretch. Vitani looked wildly around in shock and horror as the walls elongated, the ceiling slowly rising…or was the floor sinking?

"Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis," observed the Ghost Host, his voice sounding as though it was steadily moving around the room. "Is this haunted room actually stretching, or is it your imagination? Hmm?"

By now, the portraits had elongated fully, revealing grisly scenes of murder and mayhem. The young woman with the umbrella was standing on a tightrope suspended over a hungry crocodile. The smug man was straddling the shoulders of another man, who was on the shoulders of another man, who was the only one aware that they were slowly sinking in quicksand. The speech-holding man was pant-less and standing on a keg of dynamite, the fuse lit by a candle. The elderly woman was sitting on a tombstone, with a bust of a man at its base; the bust had an ax imbedded in its skull.

"And consider this dismaying observation," the Ghost Host continued. "This chamber has no windows and no doors."

Vitani twisted her head around to face the panel they'd entered through, but to her surprise and dismay, it had closed. They were trapped.

"Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out!"

The Ghost Host let out an evil laugh that echoed throughout the chamber. The walls had finally stopped stretching, and the room now felt more like a prison cell, cramped and suffocating. Vitani pressed herself against Kopa fearfully.

"Of course, there's always _my _way…" the Ghost Host added.

Thunder crashed, and the room was plunged into darkness as the candles in the gargoyle sconces suddenly flickered and died. Everyone looked up in to see that the ceiling had mysteriously vanished, revealing the rafters above. Flashes of lightning illuminated a rotting corpse dangling from a taut noose tied to one of the beams. Vitani gasped in terror, along with several others. Kopa said something but was drowned out by the sound of a child in the room crying out in fright.

Then the room went totally dark, and a loud scream rent the air, followed by a bone-jarring crash. Then silence.

The candles in the room flickered back to life. The ceiling had returned, hiding the corpse from view.

"Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely," said the Ghost Host. "The real chills come later. Now, as they say, 'look alive,' and we'll continue our little tour. And let's all stay together, please."

It took the guests a moment to notice that another panel had opened in the wall. Shaking from fright, Vitani followed Kopa into a dimly lit hallway.

The sound of funeral bells rang out in the dismal air as they rounded a corner to see a long line of what looked like large black pods. It took Vitani a moment to realize that these must be their ride vehicles: the Doom Buggies.

"And now, a carriage approaches to take you into the boundless realm of the supernatural," said the Ghost Host over the din of park guests jostling down the line. "Once on board, remain safely seated, with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside. And watch your children, please." He then repeated the spiel in Spanish as Kopa and Vitani rounded the last corner, stepped onto a moving platform, and were ushered into their Doom Buggy by another butler-like character. Speakers in the pod's wall behind them emitted the voice of the Ghost Host as he said, "Do not pull down on the safety bar, please. I will lower it for you." And sure enough, the bar shifted down into position. "And heed this warning: the spirits will materialize only if you remain quietly seated at all times."

"Here we go," Vitani murmured as the Doom Buggy rounded a corner and entered a short hallway. The left wall of the corridor was lined with three windows framed in luxurious draperies. On the other side, a storm raged on. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. On the right wall were four paintings: a man on horseback, a sailing ship, a stately Roman goddess, and a young woman reclining on a sofa. The pod drew level with the first window as a flash of lightning illuminated the hall. Vitani gasped in shock, gazing at the picture of the man on horseback. The lightning flash put a strange light on it, making it appear to change momentarily before returning to its normal state. She blinked and looked again. Sure enough, with each flash of lightning, the man and horse became ghostly and skeletal. Looking down the hall, Vitani noticed that the other paintings were changing also. The boat became a ghost ship, torn sails flapping uselessly in the wind. The Roman goddess turned into a stone Medusa, glaring and snarling at them. And the reclining woman morphed into a white tiger, baring her teeth in a warning grimace and clutching a bone in her claws.

"It's just a trick of the light," Kopa said playfully.

Vitani glared at him, not amused.

"Oh yes, and no flash pictures, please," added the Ghost Host. "We spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights."

The hallway opened into a library. The walls were lined with shelves crowded with hundreds of books. In the dim light provided by a lone, flickering lamp, it was impossible to read the titles of the volumes. Eight marble busts were set on the shelves as well. As the Doom Buggy moved through the room, they seemed to watch them, twisting on their pedestals. A ladder in the corner shifted and tilted, as though an invisible person was leaning for an out-of-reach book. A rocking chair squeaked back and forth on its own, and a single book slid across the floor by itself.

"Our library is well-stocked with priceless first editions, only ghost stories of course," said the Ghost Host. "And marble busts of the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known."

As the Doom Buggy moved on, the sound of a piano reached their ears. They entered a small music room, dominated by a box piano situated in front of a picture window, which overlooked a dreary landscape of overgrown grass and dead trees. The piano was covered in a layer of dust, and although the seat was empty, invisible hands were pounding away to a disjointed tune. The shadow of the pianist spilled across the floor.

"They have all retired here to the Haunted Mansion," continued the Ghost Host. "Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here. But there's room for 1000. Any volunteers?"

Vitani glanced at Kopa, who grinned both cheerfully and soothingly. "Don't worry, I have no plans to volunteer," he said, licking her cheek. Vitani managed a small smile.

"Well, if you should decide to join us, final arrangements may be made at the end of the tour," added the Ghost Host.

The far end of the music room opened up to a grand staircase, the banisters flanked by huge stone griffins. The Doom Buggy began to ascend.

Then the pod turned to face the strangest sight Vitani had ever seen. The staircase before them had become a labyrinth that would have made M. C. Escher jealous. Stairs crossed above them, below them, sideways, upside-down, turning at utterly impossible angles. There were candelabras attached to the banisters at the corners, and the candles dimmed and went out before flickering back to life. Ghostly green footprints appeared on the steps and slowly faded away.

"What the—!"

Vitani looked around in utter confusion, mixed with a hint of fascination. Beside her, Kopa said, "This is too cool!", and Vitani almost agreed with him. Almost.

The Doom Buggy continued to ascend the staircase, finally reaching the dark landing. Vitani gasped as several pairs of glowing white eyes appeared, blinking eerily in the dark. As their surroundings gained a little light, the eyes were revealed to actually decorate a span of purple wallpaper. Vitani shuddered as the Doom Buggy slid into a small parlor, the intersection of two long hallways. A suit of armor stood in one corner, a large armchair in the other. The chair's embroidery resembled a disfigured face.

"We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat," said the Ghost Host. "Every room has wall-to-wall creeps and hot-and-cold running chills. Shh! Listen!"

The pod shifted and turned to face the hallway on the right. However, it soon became apparent that something wasn't right. The hall was dark and misty despite the candlelight, and it seemed to stretch into infinity, never ending. What was more, a lone candelabrum drifted in the center of the hall, completely unsupported.

The Doom Buggy then began to travel backward down the second hallway. A curtained archway came into view on their right, opening up into an old conservatory. The room was littered with decaying flowers and wreaths. A raven sat on one of the plants, cawing balefully and glaring at them. The entire wall was a giant window, looking out over the mansion's private cemetery. And in the center of the room…

Vitani yelped in fear. A coffin dominated the floor in the center of all the dead plants. It had been nailed shut to prevent graverobbing, but it was proving to be a curse for the coffin's occupant. Two green, rotting hands protruded from within, pushing up on the unyielding lid. "Hey, let me outta here!" cried the corpse inside amid the creaking and groaning of the wooden lid.

The Doom Buggy continued down the corridor. It was lined with doors on both sides, and strange, unnatural sounds came from within their rooms. Shrieks, screams, laughter, moans, groans, growls, and shouts filled the air. Portraits of skeletal heads and decaying corpses filled in the gaps between the doors, and a dismal funeral dirge played from somewhere within the house. Vitani gasped and leaned into Kopa as they passed a door that appeared to be breathing, bulging out and receding in. On the opposite wall, two skeletal hands were attempting to tear another door off its hinges. The Doom Buggy turned at the end of the hall, passed a demonic grandfather clock that was striking…thirteen?...and slid through an opening in the end wall.

The pod had entered a séance circle. A small round table was sitting in the middle of the dark room, and an assortment of musical instruments floated around it. The raven from the conservatory was perched on the chair behind the table. And in the center of the room, floating in a lazy circle above the table, was Madam Leota.

Madam Leota was quite unique. She was a disembodied head trapped within a crystal ball, surrounded by wavy white hair and a spectral green mist. "Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat," she chanted in her deep, eerie voice, "call in the spirits, wherever they're at!"

"Oh my goodness…" Vitani whispered, half in fear and half in shock.

"Rap on a table, it's time to respond, send us a message from somewhere beyond!"

A loud knocking noise filled the room, and Vitani looked around nervously, searching for the source of the sound.

"Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine!"

The tambourine floating around the room shook violently in response to the medium's incantations.

"Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond, let there be music from regions beyond!"

A series of instruments started making eerie, disjointed music. Vitani heard a drum, a horn, and cymbals among the din.

By now, the Doom Buggy had made it all the way around the circle and was starting to enter the next room. Glancing around, Vitani saw a puff of wispy green smoke forming in the corner of the room. It looked vaguely like a skull. But she didn't get the chance to ask what it was, because at that moment, the Ghost Host spoke, his voice drowning out Madam Leota's next incantation.

"The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations," he said, "and are beginning to materialize. They're assembling for a swinging wake. And they'll be expecting me. I'll see you all a little later."

As the Ghost Host's voice faded and an eerie waltz played by a pipe organ reached their ears, the Doom Buggy turned, and Vitani let out a small noise of surprise. They were on the balcony of a huge ballroom. Below, a table was set, and a birthday – or death-day – cake, complete with thirteen candles, sat at the head seat. All at once, the candles lit, and ghosts from all eras of time appeared in the chairs. The woman at the head of the table inhaled and blew out the candles of her cake, and as the flames puffed out, the ghosts vanished. There were three drunken ghosts on the chandelier, singing and swaying in unconcerned joy. Banshees and wraiths swooped in from a broken window, and party guests entered through a door, outside of which an old hearse was parked. There were two paintings on the wall, each of a dueling gentleman. Every few seconds, the ghosts of the duelists emerged from their pictures, fired at each other, and vanished, reliving their fateful duel. Six spectral couples spun round and round in tune to the music coming from the old pipe organ at the far end of the room. A transparent organist pounded away on the keys, and tortured souls poured from the pipes with each note.

"I don't believe what I'm seeing!" Vitani said, staring in awe and fear at the scene below.

"I know," said Kopa, his voice a blend of awe and excitement. "Isn't it great?"

Vitani didn't answer, but she had to admit to herself that the illusion was very convincing. She couldn't help wonder how Disney could pull it off.

As the Doom Buggy passed the pipe organ at the end of the room and turned into darkness, the noise of the party slowly faded away to be replaced by what seemed to be "The Wedding March" played by an out-of-tune harpsichord and the sound of a human heartbeat.

And then a voice, that of a woman, spoke from somewhere beyond them: "Here comes the bride!"

The Doom Buggy slid into a musty old attic, dimly lit by moonlight coming in through a broken window. It was crowded with aging trunks and boxes of all shapes and sizes. Also among the clutter, Vitani noticed, were what appeared to be wedding gifts. Situated on a stack of boxes was a wedding portrait, faded and dusty with age. But as they approached it, the head of the groom faded out of the picture, accompanied by the swish-and-thud sound of an ax. Vitani stared at it in shock, only to see the head reappear.

"As long as we _both _shall live!" intoned the woman's voice, louder this time.

"Look, there's another one," Kopa said, pointing to a second wedding portrait nearby. It hosted the same bride as the previous one, but a different groom. Also, Vitani noticed, the bride was wearing a second ring of pearls around her neck.

She'd only been wearing one in the first painting.

"I do…I _did_!" called the voice.

The Doom Buggy approached the second portrait and, as it had in the first one, the groom's head vanished with the sound of a swishing ax only to reappear a second later.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

Looking around, Vitani saw three more wedding portraits. All of them pictured the same bride and a different groom, and the bride looked slightly wealthier in each progressive painting. And, like the others, the grooms' heads vanished from their shoulders, reappearing almost immediately.

Then the Doom Buggy rounded a corner, and they found themselves facing the ghost of a young bride. Her face was partially hidden by her veil, and her white gown billowed out behind her. Vitani noticed five rings of pearls around her neck. She smiled coldly at the lions and said, "Till death do us part!" She raised one of her empty hands, but it suddenly wasn't empty anymore. In it gleamed the shiny head of a hatchet.

Vitani gasped in horror and Kopa murmured, "Whoa…" The bride lowered her hand and the ax vanished. She continued to smile malevolently.

The Doom Buggy moved away from the ghostly bride toward the broken window, and a ghostly, jazzy tune filled the air. The bride called out, "And we'll live happily ever after!" as the pod turned around, tilting backward to descend to the ground below. A raven, probably the same one from the conservatory and séance room, was perched on one of the higher branches, cawing warningly at them as they descended.

Finally, they reached the ground, and they passed a mortal caretaker and his skinny dog, shuddering in terror and unable to speak, as they passed through the gates of the mansion's private cemetery. Ghosts, goblins, banshees, and spirits of all shapes and sizes were rising from their graves. A group of musicians near the gate were playing a badly-tuned, jazzy piece, and the ghosts were singing:

_When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake_

_Spooks come out for a swinging wake_

_Happy haunts materialize_

_And begin to vocalize_

_Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize_

_Now don't close your eyes and don't try to hide_

_Or a silly spook may sit by your side_

_Shrouded in a daft disguise_

_They pretend to terrorize_

_Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize_

_As the moon climbs high o'er the dead oak tree_

_Spooks arrive for the midnight spree_

_Creepy creeps with eerie eyes_

_Start to shriek and harmonize_

_Grim grinning ghosts, come out to socialize_

_When you hear the knell of a Requiem bell_

_Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell_

_Restless bones etherealize_

_Rise as spooks of every size_

The song ended with a loud, cruel, demonic laugh that echoed and reverberated off the tombstones.

The Doom Buggy slid down the graveyard path, and Kopa and Vitani stared around in awe at all the ghosts. Vitani was so awestruck that she forgot to be afraid. The song was led by a group of five marble busts that had come to life. The lead singer's head had been broken off its shoulders. There were a king and queen on a teeter-totter balanced on a tombstone, and some ghosts were cycling among the graves. An English couple was having tea and singing along with the busts. A hearse had gotten stuck in the mud, and the corpse inside had been spilled out. It too was celebrating and talking to the ghostly hearse driver. An Egyptian mummy was sitting up in his sarcophagus, speaking and singing to a stooping old man with an ear trumpet. In front of a row of crypts was a pair of opera singers, a skinny male and a fat female, who were shamelessly belting out the song. An executioner was singing alongside one of his victims, a decapitated knight who held his head in his outstretched hand. It was truly a party to die for.

The graveyard path led straight up to a large stone crypt. Its doors were open, the insides black as night. The raven had settled over the gaping maw, eying them almost malevolently. "Oh no, not into the crypt!" Vitani moaned uneasily.

"Everything will be fine," Kopa replied soothingly.

They entered into the mausoleum, the sounds of the graveyard jamboree fading away. The crypt was dimly lit by torches held up by carved skeletal hands protruding from the wall.

"Ah! There you are!" the Ghost Host called, making Vitani jump. "And just in time. There's a little matter I forgot to mention: beware of hitchhiking ghosts!"

As if on cue, the Doom Buggy in front of them shifted, revealing a large alcove in the wall, where three ghosts stood. One was a portly man carrying a carpetbag, the second was a skeleton tipping a bowler hat, and the last was a short bearded man carrying a ball and chain. All held out their thumbs in the universal sign for hitchhikers.

The pod rounded a corner, and the lions found themselves facing three large, ornate mirrors. Vitani gasped as one of the hitchhiking ghosts – the skeleton – appeared in the mirrors beside them. She looked around, but the ghost was nowhere to be found. "That's so weird…" she said, and Kopa nodded, smiling.

"They have selected you to fill our quota," the Ghost Host explained, "and they'll haunt you until you return!"

The Doom Buggy twisted around, and the lions looked up at a ledge over their heads, where a two-foot tall ghost dressed in a somber black gown stood. "Hurry back!" she called, "Hurry back! Be sure to bring your death certificate, if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now. We've been _dying _to have you!"

The Doom Buggy drew alongside a moving platform like the one at the beginning of the ride, and the Ghost Host said, "Now I will raise the safety bar, and a ghost will follow you home!"

His laughter echoed loudly, reverberating in Vitani's ears as she followed Kopa out of the Doom Buggy and onto the platform. As they stepped onto solid ground and started toward the exit, she heard unseen ghosts chanting: "If you would like to join our jamboree, there's a simple rule that's compulsory. Mortals pay a token fee: rest in peace, the haunting's free. So hurry back, we would like your company!"

Kopa and Vitani emerged once again into the bright sunlight. To their left was a large stone crypt, but they ignored it as they walked away from the mansion. Kopa paused to examine a pet cemetery on the hill immediately following, but they were soon out of the manor's gate, back in the relative safety of the Magic Kingdom.

"Well, what did you think?" Kopa asked, sounding a little worried.

Vitani hesitated and replied after some thought, "Well, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting, and a lot of the effects were impressive. I guess it wasn't too scary….Yeah, I suppose it was pretty good."

Kopa grinned. "See? I told you it wouldn't be that bad," he said.

Vitani allowed herself to smile. "Yeah, you did." Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "But just answer one question for me: how did you know it wasn't going to be scary?"

"Oh, I didn't," Kopa replied with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "I've never been in there before. I just assumed it wouldn't be bad 'cause it's Disney, you know?"

Vitani stopped walking and stared at him. Kopa halted as well, his smile replaced with a confused look.

"Do you mean," Vitani said slowly, her voice slowly rising, "that you took me on a haunted house ride, telling me it wasn't scary, when you really had no idea because _you'd never ridden it before_!"

Kopa blinked. "Uh…well, you see…Vitani, come on, it wasn't that bad, you said so yourself!"

Vitani let out a cry of rage that made several people turn to look at her. Kopa took a startled step backward, turned on the spot, and ran. Vitani followed him at a sprint.

As the two young lions rushed past them, Simba and Nala, who were waiting in line for It's a Small World, blinked and shook their heads, chuckling. "When will that boy learn?" the lion king said. "You don't ever, under any circumstances, upset a lioness."

Nala sighed, still smiling. "I wonder what he did to upset her," she said.

"I don't know," Simba replied. "But I'm pretty sure that he won't ever do it again."

**Author's Note: **I hope you enjoyed it. I'm afraid it will probably be the last thing I post for a while. I have eight papers to write in the upcoming weeks, and with all that I won't have time to write anything else. In fact, I probably shouldn't have taken the time to write this, but I couldn't help it…

Anyway, as always, please leave a review and tell me what you think. I promise, I will resume my writing as soon as I can.


End file.
